Research Fellows in Data Studies and Ethical Data Work (100%) – Two positions available

23.02.2024, Wissenschaftliches Personal

The Ethical Data Initiative at the chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology (est. September 2024) of Prof. Sabina Leonelli is a global coordinating hub for research on data ethics and related education and policy activities. We are excited to collaborate with a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher who shares our deep interest in exploring educational, social, and governance issues that emerge in the context of working with data (both within and beyond the realm of scientific research), as well as possible future scenarios and applications particularly in relation to Artificial Intelligence.

About us

This opportunity is offered by the chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology (SOT), with positions housed at the TUM Think Tank as part of the Ethical Data Initiative currently under development. As an interdisciplinary, public-interest-minded, and impact-oriented team based at the TUM SOT, we study, teach, and shape in practice a broad range of policy and governance issues concerning innovative technologies. We work closely with external partners from academia, business, and society, such as UNESCO, FAO, CODATA and OECD, among many others.

We are a very interdisciplinary team and world-leading expertise in the philosophy, history and social studies of data, data ethics and the governance of data and AI. We invite the researcher taking on this position under the chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology to become a core contributor to the Ethical Data Initiative (EDI; https://ethicaldatainitiative.org).

About the Ethical Data Initiative at the TUM Think Tank

The Ethical Data Initiative is a global coordinating hub for research on data ethics and related education and policy activities. It brings together a network of relevant partners with the aim to scale up available resources to foster just, ethical and responsible data production, trading, processing and use around the world. We are particularly interested in developing training resources and governance models for under-resourced parts of society, including research institutions as well as small and medium enterprises, civil society organizations, social services, public administrations and other public bodies – which do crucial data work across the globe yet do not typically have in-house resources to develop skills in responsible data management.

The TUM Think Tank is a research-to-action institute created in 2022 as a collaborative effort between the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy and TUM. Its core aim is to strengthen the knowledge transfer between academia on the one hand, and civil society, business, and the public sector, on the other hand. The TUM Think Tank is home to various research and innovation labs, creating a vibrant ecosystem of researchers, innovators and practitioners form academia, industry and governance around two key questions: i) how we can employ emerging technologies for the benefit of society, and ii) ensure that emerging technologies are developed responsibly, human-centered, and democratically.

Requirements (similar for both available positions)

We are excited to collaborate with a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher who shares our deep interest in exploring educational, social, and governance issues that emerge in the context of working with data (both within and beyond the realm of scientific research), as well as possible future scenarios and applications particularly in relation to Artificial Intelligence. The candidate also brings the following qualifications:

• PhD degree with a substantive focus on policy, governance, science studies (including history and philosophy of science and technology), science communication, ethics of AI; and/or data science, computer science, statistics or mathematics with a demonstrable interest in their social aspects and implications

• Knowledge of data studies scholarship (philosophy, history and/or social studies of data and AI) and the interest and ability to carry out research that serves practical application of such scholarship in education and policy

• Interest and ability to engage in organizational tasks supporting the EDI, such as developing events to engage stakeholders and extend the network as it develops

• Interest and ability to develop funding applications both nationally and internationally in collaboration with the EDI team and directors

• Intellectual curiosity and an open mindset, and the ability and motivation to work both independently and as member of teams

• Organizational skills and excitement to work in a fast-paced, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary environment

• Commitment to diversity and inclusion

• Very good English skills, with knowledge of the German language as a plus

• Prior working experience (incl. internships or volunteer work) is preferred Tasks

• Conducting research for the EDI on data ethics and related education and policy activities

• Creating learning modules in the area of responsible data use, data ethics and data governance, building on existing work by EDI leads and other data studies scholarship

• Carry out project management tasks for the EDI supervised by EDI leads

• Contributing to the intellectual life and community at the EDI, the TUM Think Tank and the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology

• Supporting organizational tasks (e.g., organizing conferences, hackathons and workshops)

Our offer

We offer exciting opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research, education, and outreach in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and internationally networked environment, tackling some of the hardest problems in the field of science studies and governance of innovative technologies with a commitment to the public good. We as well offer the possibility to dive deep in one of the most promising emerging technologies and its (future) applications as well as the opportunity to build your own research agenda around relevant topics. We invite you to join us on the inner-city campus of TUM.

What to expect

• The possibility of carrying out research and develop highly impactful training and policy resources in the field of data studies, and responsible data science and AI

• Working in a cutting-edge research, training, policy and outreach effort funded by TUM and the University of Exeter, with a view to establishing it as a long-term institute and employer (conditional on successful follow-on funding)

• Being part of the Ethical Data Initiative with the opportunity to shape and build this new initiative at the TUM Think Tank

• Working in a highly collaborative team of researchers from science studies, philosophy and history of science, data studies, AI ethics, education, policy, legal, and computer science over the course of three years

• The opportunity to participate in collaborative academic publishing and engage with the broader scientific community through workshop and/or conference visits.

• Mentorship and continuous support in building an independent academic and professional profile.

• Remuneration according to the collective agreement for the public service of the federal states (TV-L) in the classification TV-L 13 to the extent of 100%.

We look forward to receiving your informative documents until 1st of April 2024 (cover letter, CV and references, summarized in a single PDF file). We will review applications on a continuous basis thus, they should be submitted as early as possible via e-mail to: [email protected]

The chosen candidate will be employed at the TUM Think Tank, under the supervision of the Professorship of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology. The employment contract is limited to three years.

The position is suitable for disabled persons. Disabled applicants will be given preference in case of generally equivalent suitability, aptitude and professional performance.

Data Protection Information:
When you apply for a position with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), you are submitting personal information. With regard to personal information, please take note of the Datenschutzhinweise gemäß Art. 13 Datenschutz-Grundverordnung (DSGVO) zur Erhebung und Verarbeitung von personenbezogenen Daten im Rahmen Ihrer Bewerbung. (data protection information on collecting and processing personal data contained in your application in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)). By submitting your application, you confirm that you have acknowledged the above data protection information of TUM.

Kontakt: [email protected]

https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/